--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Liberty may be an uncomfortable blessing…" description: "\"Liberty may be an uncomfortable blessing unless you know what to do with it. That is why so many freed slaves returned to their masters, why so many em..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/walter-lippmann-1083_announcing_liberty-may-be-an-uncomfortable-blessing_3222213.jpg" --- # Liberty may be an uncomfortable blessing unless you know… ![“Liberty may be an uncomfortable blessing unless you know what to do with it. That is why so many freed slaves returned to their masters, why so many emancipated women are only too glad to give up the racket and settle down. For between announcing that you will live your own life, and the living of…” quote by Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/walter-lippmann-1083_announcing_liberty-may-be-an-uncomfortable-blessing_3222213.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/walter-lippmann-1083_announcing_liberty-may-be-an-uncomfortable-blessing_3222213.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/361/walter-lippmann-1083_announcing_liberty-may-be-an-uncomfortable-blessing_3222213.jpg) > “Liberty may be an uncomfortable blessing unless you know what to do with it. That is why so many freed slaves returned to their masters, why so many emancipated women are only too glad to give up the racket and settle down. For between announcing that you will live your own life, and the living of it lie the real difficulties of any awakening.” [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom can be unsettling without purpose; many people revert to familiar structures when they lack direction. **In simple terms:** Freedom feels risky without a plan. Key Takeaway Find purpose to wield liberty. Themes freedom purpose awakening Mood reflective serious Type philosophical social When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - community leadership - post‑emancipation adjustment Key Concepts existentialism social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What purpose will you assign to your freedom? - How can societies support newly freed individuals? A Different Perspective Without clear goals, liberty may lead to chaos or regression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Announcing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/announcing/) [Awakening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) [Blessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing/) [Difficulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficulty/) [Emancipated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emancipated-343510/) [Emancipated Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emancipated-women-3445484/) [Freed Slaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freed-slaves-1650489/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Glad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glad/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Liberty Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty-uncomfortable-6063076/) [Live your own life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-your-own-life/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Racket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racket/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Settling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settling/) [Settling down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settling-down/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) ## Related quotes > [I've always been on the side of fully emancipated women with independent minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-rigg/i-ve-always-been-on-the-side-of-fully-emancipated-women-with/) [Diana Rigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-rigg/) > [Emancipated' women found out that the honesty, generosity, and camaraderie of men was a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/emancipated-women-found-out-that-the-honesty-generosity-and/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [The emancipated woman has to fight something worse than the crusted prejudices of her uncles; she has to fight the bewilderment in her own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-emancipated-woman-has-to-fight-something-worse-than-the-crusted/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [“It would take either a full-scale slave rebellion or a full-scale war to end such a deeply entrenched system. If a rebellion, it might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/it-would-take-either-a-full-scale-slave-rebellion-or-a-full-scale-war/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Who freed the slaves? To the extent that they were ever u2018freed,' they were freed by the Thirteenth Amendment, which was authored and pressured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lerone-bennett-jr/who-freed-the-slaves-to-the-extent-that-they-were-ever-u2018freed/) [Lerone Bennett, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lerone-bennett-jr/) > [Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, Robert Lincoln bought a nice ski lodge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/abraham-lincoln-freed-the-slaves-robert-lincoln-bought-a-nice-ski/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [ In contemplating the pecuniary resources needed for the removal of such a number to so great a distance \[freed slaves to Africa\], my thoughts… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/in-contemplating-the-pecuniary-resources-needed-for-the-removal-of/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“Like most blacks in Philadelphia, Eliza was free. She said Philadelphia was the best city for freed slaves or freeborn Africans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/like-most-blacks-in-philadelphia-eliza-was-free-she-said-philadelphia/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“They took it for more than it was, or anyhow for more than it said; the container was greater than the thing contained, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-foote/they-took-it-for-more-than-it-was-or-anyhow-for-more-than-it-said-the/) [Shelby Foote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-foote/) > [Moses freed the Jews. Lincoln freed the slaves. I freed the neurotics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-flynt/moses-freed-the-jews-lincoln-freed-the-slaves-i-freed-the-neurotics/) [Larry Flynt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-flynt/) > [I can't say with certainty that slavery would have ended more quickly and more completely if the South had been allowed to leave and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-swanson/i-can-t-say-with-certainty-that-slavery-would-have-ended-more-quickly/) [David Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-swanson/) > [“She wanted to leap from her horse and run to them, or to simply scream that she wasn’t a part of this prince’s court,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/she-wanted-to-leap-from-her-horse-and-run-to-them-or-to-simply-scream/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [Washington, not Jefferson, freed his slaves upon his death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/washington-not-jefferson-freed-his-slaves-upon-his-death/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [I read a funny story about how the Republicans freed the slaves. The Republicans are the ones who created slavery by law in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-barry/i-read-a-funny-story-about-how-the-republicans-freed-the-slaves-the/) [Marion Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-barry/) > [One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/one-hundred-years-of-delay-have-passed-since-president-lincoln-freed/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) ## More by Walter Lippmann > [The emancipated woman has to fight something worse than the crusted prejudices of her uncles; she has to fight the bewilderment in her own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-emancipated-woman-has-to-fight-something-worse-than-the-crusted/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Even God has been defended with nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/even-god-has-been-defended-with-nonsense/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [A better distribution of incomes would increase that efficiency by diverting a great fund of wealth from the useless to the useful members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/a-better-distribution-of-incomes-would-increase-that-efficiency-by/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [There is but one bond of peace that is both permanent and enriching: The increasing knowledge of the world in which experiment occurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/there-is-but-one-bond-of-peace-that-is-both-permanent-and-enriching/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Where there is no danger of overt action there is rarely any interference with freedom. That is why there has so often been amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/where-there-is-no-danger-of-overt-action-there-is-rarely-any/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-final-test-of-a-leader-is-that-he-leaves-behind-him-in-other-men/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [The simple opposition between the people and big business has disappeared because the people themselves have become so deeply involved in big business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-simple-opposition-between-the-people-and-big-business-has/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [A free press is not a privilege but an organic necessity in a great society. ... A great society is simply a big and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/a-free-press-is-not-a-privilege-but-an-organic-necessity-in-a-great/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [“Since position and contact play so big a part in determining what can be seen, heard, read, and experienced, as well as what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/since-position-and-contact-play-so-big-a-part-in-determining-what-can/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [An alliance is like a chain. It is not made stronger by adding weak links to it. A great power like the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/an-alliance-is-like-a-chain-it-is-not-made-stronger-by-adding-weak/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [The chief element in the art of statesmanship under modern conditions is the ability to elucidate the confused and clamorous interests which converge upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-chief-element-in-the-art-of-statesmanship-under-modern-conditions/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [At the core of every moral code there is a picture of human nature, a map of the universe, and a version of history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/at-the-core-of-every-moral-code-there-is-a-picture-of-human-nature-a/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [The tendency of the casual mind is to pick out or stumble upon a sample which supports or defies its prejudices, and then to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-tendency-of-the-casual-mind-is-to-pick-out-or-stumble-upon-a/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [There is only one purpose to which a whole society can be directed by a deliberate plan. That purpose is war, and there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/there-is-only-one-purpose-to-which-a-whole-society-can-be-directed-by/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [In a democracy, the opposition is not only tolerated as constitutional, but must be maintained because it is indispensable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/in-a-democracy-the-opposition-is-not-only-tolerated-as-constitutional/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) [Explore all 296 Walter Lippmann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) ## More Announcing quotes > [I myself have not met a self-confessed liberal since the late fifties (and even then it was a tacky thing to admit, like coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/i-myself-have-not-met-a-self-confessed-liberal-since-the-late-fifties/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Originally, I think, I wanted to be an actor. But I got into broadcasting by accident, if you will, because I needed money to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/originally-i-think-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-but-i-got-into/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) > [If you're not seeing each other anymore because things are so strained, and your only communication is a weekly e-mail, and you're wondering which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/if-you-re-not-seeing-each-other-anymore-because-things-are-so/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) > [Nobody, but nobody stays a public-address announcer for more than a couple of years. Truly. Public-address announcing is not a career. Public-address announcers only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-sheppard/nobody-but-nobody-stays-a-public-address-announcer-for-more-than-a/) [Bob Sheppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-sheppard/) > [Stand-up came naturally to me because people in Ireland talk. But that's not talking on panel shows; it is structured fun. It reminds me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-moran/stand-up-came-naturally-to-me-because-people-in-ireland-talk-but-that/) [Dylan Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-moran/) > [A group simply announcing a caliphate, is not enough to establish a caliphate,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/a-group-simply-announcing-a-caliphate-is-not-enough-to-establish-a/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [One day I was talking about what I was going to do next, and just found myself announcing it: 'I'm going to write a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnside/one-day-i-was-talking-about-what-i-was-going-to-do-next-and-just/) [John Burnside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnside/) > [There are times where I'd say the Oval Office, you use to gather the facts. 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The Taliban may not have watches, but they do have calendars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/announcing-a-withdrawal-date-that-was-wrong-the-taliban-may-not-have/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign announced that it raised over $1.5 million in the 24 hours after he announced his bid. Meanwhile, a 12-year-old on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/bernie-sanders-presidential-campaign-announced-that-it-raised-over-1/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [When a man fails to see the truth of certain generally accepted views, there is no law compelling him to provoke animosity by announcing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/when-a-man-fails-to-see-the-truth-of-certain-generally-accepted-views/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [People have a right to surf the Web without Big Brother watching their every move and announcing it to the world. The Internet marketplace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-speier/people-have-a-right-to-surf-the-web-without-big-brother-watching/) [Jackie Speier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-speier/) > [I had no agenda in writing this play except expressing myself. . . . It later occurred to me that I was not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mart-crowley/i-had-no-agenda-in-writing-this-play-except-expressing-myself-it/) [Mart Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mart-crowley/) [Browse all 101 Announcing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/announcing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Liberty may be an uncomfortable blessing unless you know what to do with it. That is why so many freed slaves returned to their masters, why so many emancipated women are only too glad to give up the racket and settle down. 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